**** Chapter Eleven – A Trailer and a Trip ****

I smoldered all the way to San Diego. Sonya was wise enough to leave me alone and Matilda knitted quietly in the back seat. I, personally, was focusing on getting to San Diego without being involved in a road rage incident.

By the time we pulled into Sam’s I had my full wits about me again and had come to the determination that it was best just to ignore Matilda. She didn’t talk anyway, and maybe she would disappear just as mysteriously as she had appeared. I had contemplated using force to dislodge her, or calling the police, but I didn’t like the potential outcomes of either of those solutions. She didn’t smell or make noise and was a moderately attractive woman. I studiously ignored that fact that she had graced my bed one strange night; it was best just to pretend that episode had never happened.

When we arrived at Custom Trailers, Sam Adams himself was there to greet us. Sonya and I got out of the truck, and Matilda didn’t move. Sam assured me that everything was ready to go and proceeded to lead us on an inspection tour of the new rig. We examined every hatch, door and latch; every appliance got tested, including the small shower and toilet. The satellite system was up and running and the WiFi was amazingly fast. Sam pointed out that his receptionist had stocked the refrigerator and pantry as requested by Sonya; that was something I hadn’t thought of, and I appreciated Sonya’s attention to detail.

As soon as the inspection was finished, Sam’s team began to transfer our belongings into the trailer; everything but the personal items went into the storage room. Sonya supervised that operation while Sam showed me how to operate and maintain the solar, propane and plumbing systems.

The living area in the trailer wasn’t large but it had a set of bunk beds (the upper a small twin and the lower a small full), a table for four, a small desk with chair and all the various entertainment devices. It was cozy and very nicely appointed with a farmhouse style décor.

Sam’s team had taken charge of my truck, first fueling it up from their on-site diesel pump, then giving it a full once over. After that they hooked up my trailer, explaining each step of the operation to me as they went; it was surprisingly quick and easy. They showed me how the cameras on the trailer were now fully connect to the screen in the cab, making driving a rig of that size much easier. The truck had been fully setup from the factory to tow this sort of rig, the fifth-wheel hitch had even been pre-installed at the factory. I knew all of this but I was still amazed at the level of information from and control I had over the trailer from the driver’s seat of the truck. Technology was truly an amazing thing.

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Even more amazing was the fact that I could see everything about the truck and even remotely start it from the desk inside the trailer. Cold mornings up north suddenly looked a whole lot comfier. I could also monitor my propane, solar and battery levels in the trailer from inside the trailer; as well as control the temperature in the stalls and the temperature in the walk-in game fridge. One of my intended uses for that trailer was hunting trips, so the small walk-in fridge was essential. This was the reason my living space had been kept so small, I wanted storage space for supplies. I was happy to sleep in a tent in anything but subzero weather and I had even ordered a couple of micro-wood stoves for use in the camper and the tent.

As we left Sam’s I discussed the next steps of our journey with Sonya. Our first overnight stop was in El Centro, which was about two hours away – possible three with traffic. In El Centro I was scheduled to meet with the first of my dogs and we had a reservation at a nearby campground to stay the night. I reminded Sonya that we had a lot of online deliveries pending and we needed to double check the delivery points. What had been decided to make the most sense was to have items delivered at each location to General Delivery at the Post Office or the reserved camping spot I intended to stay at.

Sonya went through each and every order, and even called a few sellers and suffered through customer service hell to ensure each and every order we had placed was on schedule for delivery where and when we wanted it. Thankfully, we’d have almost everything delivered in the first three days. There would be a few items later on but the stuff I wanted with me for the trip would be on hand; I wouldn’t be forced to settle for whatever I could find at the local super-stores.

The trailer had a large built-in storage area wide enough to accept even a full-sized pallet of goods if necessary. While that isn’t huge it was useful for this adventure, and I suspected it would be very handy down the road.

All the way to El Centro Sonya worked on these details, I drove and learned to manage the trailer, and Matilda knitted.